Reel.



Fig.1.

A. F. RIETZBL.

REEL.

APPLICATION FILED M1314, 1910.

Patented June 3, 1913.

WITNESSES v INVENTORV 62099 F Riei el a Y A TTORNEYS UN ITEI) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPI-I F. EIETZEL, OF CHARLESTOWN, BHODE ISIlANID, ASSIG-NOR TO WALLACE H. ROWE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

REEL.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ADOLPH F. RIETzEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Charlestown, in the county of Washington and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reels, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to the construction of metal reels such as used for holding, storing and shipping barbed or other wire or for other purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide a reel which will be proof against fire or damage due to rough handling and whlch will be of uniform weight with other reels of the same size and construction in contradistinction to the wooden reels at present most commonly used for shipping wire.

The object is also to provide a reel of such construction that a very large drum or body portion upon which the wire is wound may be attained without adding materially to the weight of the reel.

A further object is to so construct the various parts which go to make up the finished reel that the process of electric welding may be utilized in the manufacture and thereby cheapen the cost of construction and provide an integral structure whereby great strength is assured.

Reels constructed in accordance with my present invention are particularly useful for some forms of barbed wire and other materials which cannot or should not be wound upon a very small drum or body as the drum or body portion, by following the construction according to this invention, can be made any desired size without materially increasing the weight of the reel.

The invention consists in the improved construction of metal reel hereinafter more particularly described and then specified in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an end elevation of a form of reel constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of another'style of reel constructed in accordance with this invention, one of the bars or lengths of metal of which the body portion is formed being shown before welding. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of this form and Fig. 6 is a plan. Fig. 7 is Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 14, 1910.

Patented June 3, 1913.

Serial No. 549,206.

jecting ridges or flanges. These plates or strips might take various shapes in crosssection, the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8

and 9 being T-shaped and the arms shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 being channelor troughshaped. The plates or strips are spaced apart a greater or less distance as may be desired and are rigidly connected to each other by a transverse connecting plate or plates 3 of any desired form.

In Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive and 7 to 9 inclusive, the connecting plates or strips 3 are made up of a pair of T-shaped strips of iron spaced apart and secured at their ends to the plates or strips 1, 2. The space 4 bounded by the strips 3 and the strips 1, 2, forming the reel arms, constitutes a journal bearing for insertion of the usual spindle for supporting the reel while winding or unwinding the wire.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, the connecting piece 8 is preferably a single piece of channel-shaped iron provided with an opening 5 for insertion of the supporting spindle. In each case, the arms 1, 2, and the connecting pieces 3 are preferably placed to engage each other on their ridges or flanges whereby points of localized area are formed by means of which the strips may be welded to each other by passing an electric current from one to the other and simultaneously applying pressure as will be readily understood by those skilled in the electric metal working art. Thewelded points are indicated at 6, the flanges of one strip bearing into the flanges of the other, due to the softening of the metal and the application of pressure in welding. By this construction any special preparation of the parts for welding purposes is unnecessary but it will be understood that I do not limit myself to so forming the parts as other ways of electrically welding them may be employed without departing from the spirit of my present invention. The body of the reel or the drum portion upon which the wire is wound consists preferably of a plurality of bars or lengths of metal 7 disposed about the axis of the reel, the ends of the bars or lengths of metal being welded to the strips 1, 2, forming the arms.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inelusive, the bars consist of T-shaped pieces in cross-section and are placed to intersect the arm pieces 1, 2, with their flanges in contact and are electrically welded to said arms at points of intersection as previously described.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the bars forming the body portion are shown as plates or strips of metal having a longitudinal trough suitably formed therein, preferably for but part of their length, the ends of the bars or strips being preferably flat surfaces and welded to the flanges of the arm strips 1, 2, by welding projections 8, formed on either or both of the parts to be joined. Instead of the trough being formed for but part of the length, the bars might be formed troughshaped throughout their length as indicated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9,. In this form the edges or flanges of the trough-shaped lengths are welded at their points of intersection with the flanges of the arm pieces, the flanges biting into each other at the points of weld as heretofore described. It will be noted that by varying the distance between the plates or strips 1, 2, and by varying the posi tion of the bars 7 with relation to the axis, a body portion or drum of practically any diameter, Within limits, may be attained.

It will be understood that Various difierent ways of welding the parts to each other and various modifications in the form or shape thereof might be resorted to without departing fro the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A metal reel comprising a reel arm consisting of ridged strips spaced apart and united by transverse plates or strips and a reel body secured to said arms.

2. In a metal reel, a reel arm consisting of ridged parallel strips or plates spaced apart and united together and a reel body welded to the ridges of said plates or strips.

3. In a metal reel, a reel arm consisting of parallel flanged plates or strips spaced apart, transverse flanged plates welded by the flanges to the flanges of said parallel strips and a reel body welded to the flanges of said parallel strips.

4. In a metal reel, a reel arm consisting of parallel metal plates or strips spaced apart, means connecting said strips and a reel body comprising longitudinally flanged strips welded to said arm by said flanges.

5. In a metal reel, a reel arm consisting of ridged metal plates or strips spaced apart, means welded to and connecting said strips and a reel body comprising strips provided with flanges and welded to the ridges of said arms.

6. In av metal reel, reel arms consisting of parallel plates or strips spaced apart and united by transverse connecting means and a reel body comprising trough-shaped strips secured to said arms.

7. In a metal reel, reel arms consisting of parallel plates or strips provided with flanges and spaced apart, means connecting said strips and a reel body comprising trough-shaped strips welded to the flanges of said parallel plates or strips.

Signed at Stonington in the county of New London and State of Conn, this 9th day of March A. D. 1910.

ADOLPH F. RIETZEL.

IVitnesses M. NET'IIE MARTIN, Rose I-I. RIETZEL.

C s-pies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

